One Second Too Soon
by theoneandonlylaw
Summary: One second, in the blink of an eye. People use that expression all of the time. Most think of a second as nothing of any importance.. But sometimes one second it all it takes for your life to change. Sometimes, one second is all it takes to destroy you completely. I can remember that one second of my life better than anything else that has ever happened to me.
1. Chapter 1

One second, in the blink of an eye. People use that expression all of the time. Most think of a second as nothing of any importance.. But sometimes one second it all it takes for your life to change. Sometimes, one second is all it takes to destroy you completely. She can remember that one second of her life better than anything else that has ever happened to her. That second before she heard the four words that would turn her existence upside down. If she had know that that second, that one second was going to be the last time that she was whole, the last time that she would ever be able to feel love, she would have held onto it a little longer. She would have soaked up all of it that she could so that it may last her a lifetime. But that is the problem with seconds, once they get here, they are gone, and you are left wondering what happened. She believed that the whole guy meets girl, they fall in love thing can be a little cliché, but maybe the reason it is, is because it is the one thing that marks us most as a person. It is the one thing that can change who we are forever. She herself did her fair share of eye rolling during the part of the movie where the guy and the girl ride off into the sunset together and live happily ever after. But it definitely beats the alternative. Sadly, sometimes, no matter how hard you try, or how much you sacrifice, the thing you love the most can turn around and destroy you. That, my friends, is exactly what happened to her. Her name is Rose Hathaway, and this, is her story.

 _Love fades; mine has_ … these words echo all around her. They seem to suffocate her, and press down on her with the force of the earth. These words are her burden, and her's alone. There is scarcely a night when these words don't haunt Rose's dreams, and never a waking moment when they are not bouncing around in her head. And yet, to the outside world, no one would ever suspect that she is one hard breeze away from falling apart completely. Even Lissa doesn't suspect that after this past year, that she is still, and probably always will be hurting, all from those four little words. The only people who know just how messed up she really is Christian, and Adrian. If you would have asked her, one year ago who were the people that meant the most to her in her life, she never would have thought of the two who have become my most trusted friends. But that's life for you. Just when you think you know what is going on what to expect, life throws a curve ball at you. She and Lissa are still close, but after everything that happened, their relationship has never been the same. Lissa couldn't understand why Rose was so upset when HE was so willing to see and speak to Lissa and couldn't seem to bear the sight if her. Lissa thought Rose was being immature. And she was tired of feeling like the only one in their friendship who actually cared about the others well being. Rose knew that as Lissa's guardian it was her job to put Lissa's life before her own, but they were also supposed to be each others best friends, and yet Rose felt that Lissa never paid enough attention to her to see what was going on. So she slowly began distancing herself from Lissa.

Rose and Christian's friendship began after she was assigned to be Lissa's full time guardian. With them being at the court and Christian's dislike of most of the royals, and all of the snotty bureaucrats he tended to stay back with Rose when Lissa would be out socializing or at important meetings. He knew with that crowd it was better to be seen than to be heard. And what better place to hide than with the guardian detail, whose job description entailed neither being seen nor heard. At first they hardly ever spoke, but after a while they began to chat to fill the sometimes deafening silence that seemed to come along with certain jobs. And although the two have had their differences in the past, they began to start a real rapport with each other. If anything, it was someone to complain to about the "holier than thou" attitudes of many of the members of the royal court. After about four months at court, Rose decided that it would be a wise decision to look for a change of assignment. She knew Lissa wasn't going to take it well, so Christian helped her devise a plan that would soften the blow. She then requested to be transferred to be Christians guardian, using the excuse that the princess, who everyone knew was soon to become the queen, needed a more experienced guardian to protect her, and with her and Christian being almost always together, if there was ever any problem, that Rose could sense it with her bond, and would still be close enough to advise on the situation at hand. Most people were on board, seeing as how, even though Rose had earned some people's respect, many still held onto disdain for her and her attitude. To Lissa, Rose used the excuse of needing a break from the crowd she was now required to be a part of and that there were several guardians who actually enjoy those types of things and would not bring Lissa's mood down by being miserable all the time. It took a little convincing, but with both Rose and Christian working on her, she soon agreed and the paper work was sent through.

After the assignment became official Rose moved her temporary sleeping quarters from Lissa's penthouse condo to Christian's small two bedroom apartment. Rose and Christian soon came to find out that they really didn't hate each other near as much as they thought. It turned out that they were actually alike in many ways. After a while, the pair started opening up to each other about thoughts and fears they had that they felt should be kept from Lissa. Christian was worried that his family reputation, and by extension his reputation, would keep Lissa from being able to do everything she wanted to do. Although many of the royals tolerated him, because they did not want to lose Lissa's acquaintance, most still had a very strong dislike for him, and treated him poorly when Lissa was not in close proximity to him. Likewise, Rose shared the same worries and thoughts about Lissa's relationship with her. Though Lissa couldn't see it, many people treated her differently when Rose was in her company. Not too long after Rose was Christians official guardian, they stopped attending most functions that Lissa went to unless it was something that she felt she needed a date for, in which case both Rose and Christian went and played their parts gracefully. After a few months of Rose and Christian both living together in his very small apartment, he found out about the horrible nightmares Rose was having, that usually resulted in her screaming loudly until he came and woke her up. At first she wouldn't tell him what they were about, but after a while, she finally began telling him the content of the dreams that disrupted both of their sleep most nights. They never really talked about it after Rose had reluctantly told him what was going on. The only time he brought it up again was when he was asking her to talk to Adrian about it to see if there was something he could do to help keep them away. Christian understood why Rose did not want to go to Lissa about it. Not only because she did not want to bother Lissa with her problems, but because Lissa was also part of the cause of them.

It has been a year since that day. One year since Rose's life changed completely. Things are starting to finally feel like they are returning to normal. Rose and Christian are finally in a comfortable place in their new found friendship, Adrian has been able to help her keep from having a nightmare every single night, and in one week, the four of them will be taking a short vacation away from court. One week and Rose will be able to get away and let go of the memories that haunt her. Rose thought that nothing could ruin her mood or that nothing could sour the feeling of excitement and anticipation she had for the upcoming week. Rose is suddenly pulled out of her reflections about the past year, and thoughts about the upcoming trip. She looks up and sees that Adrian is looking at her expectantly. "Shit, he must have asked me a question, and I have no clue what we were talking about." she thinks as a warm blush spreads over her face. Rose quickly asks him what they were talking about. "Rose, I just told you who was going to be Lissa's guardian next week for our vacation." Adrian replied to her, his voice both laced with genuine concern and a little annoyance. "Okay, and? I'm sure who ever they pick will be able to do the job, it not like we are going anywhere that there is likely to be an attack" she replied back to him, a little startled at how irritated she sounded. "Rose, Lissa has requested Dimitri. He will be here in two days." Adrian quickly added with a look of worry growing on his face. As his words sunk in, Rose realized that she had spoken too soon. The trip that she had been looking forward to with excitement and enthusiasm, now filled her with pain and anger. In just one week, her nightmares are going to be happening while she's awake.


	2. Chapter 2

The last two days had been hell for everyone involved. After the news was broken about Dimitri becoming Lissa's guardian for our upcoming trip, most everyone has been on edge. The only person who didn't seem to be worried is Lissa. When she had originally inquired about him accompanying her on their vacation, Christian had voiced his opinion on the matter very quickly. He tried to tell her that it was a bad idea, and begged her to think about what it would do to Rose, but she would not have it. She insisted that she knew Rose netter than anyone, and that she would know if it would bother her. Surely Rose had gotten over all that had happened a year ago. And she saw no reason why they should have a guardian that they hardly knew coming with them on such a private trip. So with that, the conversation quickly ended. The decision had been made. All that was left was for Christian to figure out how to bring it up to Rose. Lissa may not have been aware just how much this would hurt Rose, but Christian was more than acutely aware of exactly what this would do to her. Since she became his guardian, and therefore lived with him in his very small apartment, he had become intimately aware of the nightmares that caused them both to loose sleep, more nights than either one cared to admit. And although, Christian didn't understand Rose not wanting to confide in Lissa about it, he respected her decision and rarely spoke about it.

Although to most, Rose looked and acted the same way that she did a year ago, but both Christian and Adrian are very aware of just how broken she really was. Adrian has been dream walking on her and keeping updating Christian on how frequently she was having the bad dreams. Since Rose and Adrian share a different kind of intimacy than she and Christian did, he decided that Adrian should be the one to tell her of the upcoming events. All things considered, Rose took the news better than anyone had expected, but still, it was clear that she was more distressed about it than she would admit even to Christian and Adrian. Rose spent almost all of her time either in the gym, or holed up in her room watching The Notebook, of all things. And now, it was finally the day that they had all been dreading. The day when a certain Russian would be reopening the wounds he had left just one short year ago. Christian's only hoped that things wouldn't be as bad as he was expecting them to be. Feeling anxious, Christian quickly knocked on Rose's door. When she opened it, her face betrays nothing and shows no signs of just how much she is dreading the day. "It's time, we had better get going. You know Lissa hates it when we are late." Christian told her gently. She simply nods and they are out the door.

Lissa decided that all of them should get together for dinner at her house. And as usual, what Lissa wanted, she got. Rose had however convinced her that Adrian should be invited too, as he was a very close friend to both of them, and seeing as how he was also going on the trip that was to be the main discussion of the evening. Rose had insisted that there was no need for such a dinner, but Lissa was convinced that it would be nice to have a meal together and that it would be a nice way to welcome Dimitri back into their eclectic little group.

After Christian and Rose left his apartment, they stopped by Adrians to pick him up on their way, so they would all arrive at the same time. Rose was doing her best to mask all of the emotions that she was feeling, but her act wasn't convincing anyone. Since they had picked up Adrian he kept looking at her with worry pouring out of his eyes, and every so often he would squeeze her hand in a reassuring way. She gave him her best strong smile and slipped back into her own thoughts. She was unsure of what to expect. Would he try to speak to her like nothing had happened? Would he look at her with pity and contempt? Or maybe he would simply pretend that nothing had ever happened. She herself was unsure of what she wanted to happen. "I would rather not be in this situation in the first place." she murmured to herself. But seeing as how the decision has already been made, and they were now only a few minutes away from their destination, there was little to be done about it. One thing was for sure, She would not be speaking to him unless it became absolutely necessary to do so.

The trip to Lissa's had been tense, to say the least. And although Rose was doing her best to look controlled and unaffected, there was little she could do about her aura, which was emitting so many different colors at once, it was actually kind of distracting for Adrian. After what felt like an eternity, they finally made it to their destination. For a few moments, they just sat there in the car, each person attempting to prepare themselves for what the evening might hold. It was Rose who broke the silence. "Well, I guess it is time to get this over with. Come on boys, we wouldn't want to keep our host waiting." Adrian could see the anger and defiance in her eyes, and just smiled and helped her out of the car. As the three of them walked to the door, Adrian reached down and took her hand into his. She looked up at him questioningly and he simply gave her his best mischievous smile. She smiled back at him, almost as if she knew what he was thinking and agreed. As the door opened and Lissa showed the small party in and into the dining room, Rose's grip on Adrian's hand became almost painful. Rose didn't realize how hard she was squeezing until Adrian's knuckles cracked from the pressure. She gave him an apologetic smile and loosened her grip. As they entered the room, Rose's eyes began searching for the person that she was so nervous about seeing. Adrian too took in the room, searching for the man that he has hated almost since the very first day he had met him. Adrian was relieved when he realized that Dimitri wasn't in the room, he moved Rose's hand up to his lips and gave it a quick comforting kiss. Just as his lips touched her hand, a voice that was all too familiar came from behind them. "Well isn't this just a touching scene. I didn't realize that the two of you were an item. I guess I don't know some of you as well as I thought I did" Dimitri said in a cold, almost angry voice. Caught off guard, Rose pulled her hand away from Adrian swiftly and turned to face the voice that had taken them all by surprise. "Well hello Dimitri, how fortunate we are to be graced by your presence once again." She shot back in a cold, and scary voice. At this Adrian had the realization that this was certainly going to be an interesting night.


	3. Chapter 3

**"WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS!?"** **Rose screamed in her head. "I swear to god if there weren't other people in this room I would kill him, right here and now. I could totally get how he could get the wrong idea about Adrian and me, hell, most people did. But why he thinks it is any of his business, or that he has a right to be upset about it is ridiculous." As Rose's angry inner monologue continues, she has to actively work to keep her composure, more for Lissa's sake than anyone else, but Rose could still feel the anger radiating out of her and filling the room. Without saying a word, everyone takes their seats at the table. Lissa and Christian sit across from one another, and Dimitri goes to sit across from Rose, but Adrian slides in just before he has a chance to sit in the seat. "Thanks for getting my chair for me, comrade" Adrian says, with a sly grin playing on his face. With no other option, Dimitri seats himself right next to Adrian and diagonal from Rose. Still trying to keep her composure, Rose pretends to be listening to Lissa and Christian's conversation. However, a small part of her that can't seem to help itself, quickly throws a glance in Dimitri's direction. When she looks, he is staring back at her with a hard and confused look on his face. Her heart aches to hold his gaze, but some part of herself pulls her out of it and shed quickly diverts her eyes in the other direction.**

 **Little by little Rose can feel her anger going away, and soon, she realizes that Adrian has been sending positive vibes in her direction. She throws him a knowing and thankful glance. Sometimes Rose really wished that she could love Adrian in that way. He has been there for her more than anyone else in her life. And she knows that some part of him still holds out hope that she will be whole and free and love him back, the way that she can feel, he loves her. This thought makes her feel guilty. She knows that she will never love him that way, no matter how much she sometimes wishes she could.** Rose believes that she is **too broken to love anyone and even if she were to wake up tomorrow, magically healed, there is only one man that could have her heart. And that is the man that ripped it from her in the first place. Thankfully, Lissa starts discussing the plans for the upcoming vacation, and there is no more time for Rose to sit and torture herself with all of the thoughts she has fought hard to keep from her mind for so long. Once everything is settled Rose is eager to get home and as far away from Dimitri as possible. She is so focused on leaving that she almost didn't hear Christian saying that he was going to spend the night here. Her stomach began to knot up as she realized that this meant she was not going to get to go home, but would have to spend the night under the same roof as a certain Russian. Thankfully Adrian saved the day by pointing out that there was no need for her to stay, as Lissa's other guardian and Dimitri would both be there, and Christian quickly chimed in saying that Rose really deserved a night off. With all of that settled, Adrian and Rose left, before anyone had a chance to change their mind.**

 **Once Rose and Adrian got back to Christian's apartment, Adrian could see that Rose was deep in thought, no doubt processing the events of the evening. He almost asked her what she was thinking about, but saw that sad look in her eyes, and decided to let it go. She said that she was going to bed, drained from the events of the evening, and Adrian waited and listened for her to go to sleep. As much as he hated doing it, he was definitely going to need to look into her dreams tonight and keep her nightmares at bay. Knowing what a long night lie ahead of him, he settled onto the couch, and began to fall into his own silent slumber.**

 **** ** _Love fades, mine has, he snarled at her in a monstrous smile. It always started out the same way, every night, the first image of every nightmare started out exactly the same, "_** **Ah, I know this one. Hold tight my little dhampir, it is going to be a long night", Adrian thought to himself as he watched his friend toss and turn in her sleep. He went back into her dream, ready to wake her up, if need be.** ** _The scene had changed and rose was now in the holding cell she had been placed in while hunting down Strigoi Dimitri. He enters the room with a vicious snarl on his face. He walks closer to her and takes her chin in his hand, puller her up to meet his eyes. She is scared, but there is a stronger emotion coming through, Heartbreak. She wishes she could save him, and that her love would be enough to bring him back to her. Her dream fast forwards to the moment she was going to kill him in the river. Rage and fears course through her so much that it makes the scenery around her warp and change. She shoves the stake into him and watches him fall into the river; her scream is the only sound you can hear in the moonlight. The next scene takes shape and she is back at the courts, down in the cells that they held Dimitri while trying to figure out how he had been changed back. She creeps towards his cell, scared of what she is going to see, and then she spots him, the one thing that gives her existence meaning. She tries to get him to open up, at first his eyes are kind and warm, he reaches towards her as if longing to touch her, but suddenly, he stiffens and his eyes turn hard and cold. "_** **I wish I could save you from this part, little dhampir, but it will be over soon, and I will do my best to help you dream of a pleasant place far away from your troubles", Adrian whispered to her. He wished he himself could look away. This was the part of her nightmares that hurt him the most, but if he did not let it come, she would keep dreaming until it happened. There was no stopping it.** ** _Dimitri's face was hard and detached as the four words that would kill her came out of his mouth, "Love fades, mine has" She began to fall into a dark pit, and with every second that ticked by, she could feel the pieces of herself break and fall apart. Finally, no longer having anything to live for, she let the blackness swallow her up whole._**

 **With that, the dream was done and Adrian sent her to a nice private beach with lots of drinks and all the men her little heart could desire. Now matter what he did, he could never stop the dreams from coming, he could only take some of the emotions in her place. This is part of the reason that he hated dream walking on her, not only did he feel like it was invading her privacy, but he also was consumed by all of the emotions that she felt, and it nearly killed him every time. To feel her heart break, and to see the hurt that she felt over and over, replayed on a loop; It was enough to make him wish that Dimitri had died. The only thing that he knew for sure is that Dimitri will not weasel his way back into her life. Adrian would do anything stop it, if it's the last thing he did. And with that thought he fell into his own deep slumber, and felt the weight of the day slip silently off his shoulders.**

The events of the day keep playing over and over in Dimitri's head. he knew that seeing his Roza was going to be hard, and he even expected her to be a little cross with him, but he never expected her to act the way she had; Or for her to seem to close to Adrian. Dimitri knew that they had at one point tried to "date", but there never seemed to really be anything there. It was definitely a shock to walk in and see him kissing her hand that way. What bothered him the most about it was it wasn't a sexual kind of gesture, but a loving one. He did regret the way that he spoke to them, because of the shock of the sight before him, he lost his composure for just a second and said something aimed at hurting her the way he felt she was trying to hurt him. Dimitri was sure that when Lissa asked him if he would be her guardian, that she had gotten Rose's blessing, but from the way Rose looked at him, he could see now that that was not what happened. Dimitri was shocked to learn that she was Christian's guardian now, and when he asked around, found out that it was herself who had requested the transfer. He was hoping that they would have had a chance to talk in the course of the evening. That he had had the chance to say all of the things that he has wanted to say to her since that night a year ago. But he could see now that it would not happen anytime soon. She barely acknowledged his existence all night. He did however catch her looking at him at one point at dinner. he had forgotten how beautiful she was, and how much he loved her. He could have sworn when she looked at him, that he saw something akin to longing and love, but as quickly as he saw it, it disappeared and the cold distant look took over her face once more before she moved her eyes away from his. There is one thing he knew for sure, He was going to get her back, if it is the last thing he did.


	4. AN

Ok, so I know that it has been a while since i have updated this story and for that i apologize. As i was writing the new chapter that will be posted later on today, i realized that i was not satisfied with the way it was reading and decided that it would be easier to tell the rest of the story if i changed to a different point of view. So before i post the new chapter i am updating the earlier chapters so that the point of view is the same through out the story, this will also make it easier for those new to the story to understand the flow. I should have all of this done soon, and will post the new chapter this afternoon after i finish with the revisions to the other chapters. thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed my story so far. I promise to try and update more frequently. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 4

As the rest of the week went on, Rose was surprised that she was actually pretty excited to be boarding the plane that was going to be carrying herself, three of her friends, and the man that tore out her heart for several long hours. The five of them were to be heading to a remote island in the Bahamas' for a much needed break from real life. In general Rose hated flying, due to some of the side effects of being shadow kissed; however, since Lissa has learned how to create healing charms, the effects are so calmed down that with the help of a sleeping pill, it would be a bearable flight. Rose knew that as soon as they landed she would have to go into full Guardian mode and would most likely be up a busy a majority of the first day there. Without wanting to waste any time, she quickly pulled out her bottle of sleeping pills, and pooped on in her mouth as everyone else was still boarding and putting there bags away in the over head bin. As she settled into her seat and began to be pulled under by sleep, she noticed Adrian staring at her with an odd look on his face. She made a mental note to ask him about it if she remembered when she woke up. Dimitri was the last to board the plane, and was surprised to see an already sleeping Rose as he walked down the isle towards his seat. He had written a letter to Rose asking her to please give him a chance to apologize and help her to understand why he had done what he did. He had been planning on getting someone at the hotel to deliver it to her once we got our rooms, but decided to slip it into her bag as he walked by, in hopes of her seeing it when she unpacked her things. He knew that she was hurt by him, but he wanted nothing more in the world than to make things right with the only woman that he had ever loved. Christian seemed to notice the transaction, but thought it best to not ask and let it go. The flight was all together nothing too bad, and was over a lot sooner than they had all anticipated it to be. Adrian went to wake a sleeping Rose, only to have her slap him in her disoriented state, causing laughter from every one on the plane. "We're here little Dhampir, and I would appreciate it, if you would refrain from hitting me unless I ask you nicely" Adrian said with a crooked smile playing on his lips.

Once in the hotel, Rose and Dimitri set out to do a quick perimeter sweep, and do a quick background check on the people whose rooms were on the same floor as the Lissa's and Christians. They would be staying in the Penthouse suite, and Dimitri and Rose would be sharing the suite that was closest to them. They would have liked to have been on the same floor, and closer, but Lissa and Christian had insisted on having some privacy. Adrian said that he would be in a room so rarely that he would just crash on the couch in the Guardians suite. Once everything checked out, and the pair was sure that the area was safe and secure, they headed up to their room to unpack and get ready for dinner which was in less than an hour. When they made it to their room, there was a note taped to the door from Lissa saying that they were to be eating at a five star place and that the two should dress in the best cloths they brought.

Christian was more nervous than he had ever been in his life. This dinner, if everything went as planned, would be the most important dinner of his life. Tonight he was going to ask Lissa to marry him. Rose and Adrian had helped with the planning, and everything was all set. The reservation was made, complete with a private patio and a piano where a jazz singer would be playing her favorite song. Everyone was to be dressed up so they could take pictures of the special moment, and the ring that Rose assured him was perfect was safely in his pocket. Rose was the first to show up, excitement clearly written all over her face. Christian was amazed that she had been able to keep this a secret from Lissa this long, and was nervous that she was going to give it away in the home stretch. As is picking up on his worries she says to him in a teasing voice, "Cool you britches fire boy, I will put on my poker face when she gets here. But let a girl be a little excited. It's not every day that your two best friends get engaged!" With her words, Christian visibly relaxed and smiled at his friend. Slowly the rest of the group entered, and they were escorted to their private dining area. As they walked through, Rose was surprised to see Jessie Zelkos among a group of people dining in the restaurant. He looked up and locked eyes with Rose and a wicked smile played on his face. Rose silently hoped that this would be the last time that they ran into each other while here. Once everyone was seated, they all began to chat whole waiting on their server to come back with their drinks. The group sat and ate and every one seemed to be having a good time. Sometime in between courses, Christian asked Lissa to dance. He waited till about halfway through the song. He slowly backed away from her, and knelt down on one knee. Just as he drew the little box out of his pocket, Lissa broke into tears. Before Christian even had a chance to spew the whole speech he had memorized for her, she was shouting "yes!", and jumped into his arms.

After celebrating, which involved quite a bit of liquor, and lots of hugs and smiling, everyone went their separate ways for the evening. Dimitri and Adrian decided to hang back and drink a bit more before turning in. As Rose made her way back to her room, she kept getting the feeling that someone was following her. Shaking off her paranoia, she picked up her pace, ready to shower and get into bed. Just as she rounded the last corner towards her room, she heard a loud thump, and everything went dark.


End file.
